In the movie Rocky IV, after the death of his friend, former champion, and mentor Apollo Creed, Rocky had to carry the weight of the world on his back as he faced a seemingly invincible opponent in a six-foot-seven, evil, Apollo-killing, cold war era Russian named Ivan Drago.
The Oregon Ducks, after the death of their dear friend, the conference of champions known as the Pac-12, had to carry the weight of the college football world by ultimately facing a seemingly invincible opponent in the cocky, evil, conference killing, group of thugs known as the SEC.
Like with Rocky, it is time to slay the giant.
By now we have seen the playoff bracket, and for the Ducks to win it all they will most likely have to beat the SEC’s two best teams in Texas and Georgia — as well as possibly a quarter-final Rose Bowl game against Tennessee. Mr. FishDuck took a moment from his fun at online casino slots to share his thoughts on this hot-button topic with me.
Also, by now, we have all seen the system’s inequity. Simply put: Why does the No. 1 team in the country have the most difficult path to the championship?
It is true. It is flawed. It is ridiculous.
This leaves Oregon supporters at a crossroads in choosing one of two paths of thought.
1) The glass is half empty train of thought: The Ducks are getting screwed. They chose the worst year ever to go undefeated. The college football gods are against us.
2) The glass is half full train of thought: After destroying the B1G, they have a chance to beat the three best SEC teams on their way to the greatest season ever in college football, with an opportunity to be considered the greatest team ever.
If the Ducks win it all they will have won six games against current Top 10 teams, which includes the trifecta of B1G blue-bloods Ohio State (maybe 2x), Michigan and Penn State. As well as the SEC’s Tennessee (maybe), Texas and Georgia. Tack on beating the currently eighth-ranked Boise State Broncos, and this is one hell of a season.
Of course, with the new playoff finally here, I suppose seasons like this will become the new normal as champions will have more opportunities to play top teams, but I digress. Being the first at something often carries a little extra weight (1939 Oregon hoops), and the Ducks have an amazing opportunity at true greatness.
“Y’all wanna be the best, y’all gotta’ beat the best,” as history will not shine a light on beating the SMUs and Arizona States of the world, but it sure as heck will on the Ohio States and Georgias.
Football is king in the South. It is their obsession, 24/7/365. It is win or die. So, let us show these Southerners that people can have a balanced life, an education, time for a couple of hobbies, a “small” stadium, and still be football champions.
“Big” stadiums? We have no insecurities to overcompensate for.
Now, it is time to deliver the body blows… Rocky style!
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Eric Becker
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah
Share your thoughts about this team in the only free, “polite and respectful” Oregon Sports message board, the Our Beloved Ducks forum!
Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.